IPMBA News

The high desert mesa altitude (at 5,280 feet, a truly mile-high city) of Albuquerque, NM, seemingly had no impact on the level of competition or the blistering times of the competitors at the 2009 IPMBA Conference Competition. Our friends at Albuquerque PD, our host agency, created a high energy, high speed and very challenging course for this year’s participants.

Designed to maximize the existing facilities at the Albuquerque Civic Plaza, the course started atop the main stage with a descent down a long flight of stairs, almost immediately into a cone course comprising a three-stage, BMX-inspired pump-track and a tight serpentine. This lead to a ramp up and a bridge crossing a section of the massive Civic Plaza Fountain. It then moved on to a stair-carry and a long serpentine before heading down two offset fights of stairs and over two teeter-totters before ending in an all-out sprint to the finish.

To kick off the event with a bang, world class professional mountain biker and coach Shaums March scorched the course with an impressive 1:15.00 even after briefly losing his chain just before the teeter-totters!

Jason Schiffer of Team Bethlehem moved up from 2nd overall last year to a fastest overall time in 2009 at 1:19.61 and took first place in the Male 30-39 age group. Team Bethlehem also claimed the 2nd fastest overall time, Jon Pesesko at 1:23.00, who scored first place in the Male 40-49 age group. The Flying Dutchmen’s top rider Lex ven den Muysenberg – just one second back – took third overall with a time of 1:24:00 and earned second place in the Male 30-39 age group.

Jon Thompson of Wheels of Fury claimed second place in the Male 40-49 age group, less than two seconds behind Jon Pesesko, with a time of 1:24.97. The Male under 30 age group was dominated by the Dezert Ratz, with Michael Clifton scoring first (1:36.00), followed by Kenneth Coburn (1:59.82).

The top female competitor, Nicole Jagers of Force 4, gave the guys some serious competition, with an impressive time of 1:57.00. The Open Category promised to be a fierce duel between the two high speed Team Volcanic competitors, but after a rough endo on the pump track, Eric Kackley had to settle for a painful second place to Mike McKernan’s first place time of 1:32.83. Just to prove that only his feelings were hurt by the fall, Eric made a second—but unofficial—run at a blistering 1:22.27 pace.

Rounding out the individual age groups was a first place for the forever young Jim Roy of Bayou Boys in the Male over 50 group with a truly impressive time of 1:31.03, less than eleven seconds behind the fastest competitor!

The top three EMS riders hammered home with third place honors in the Team category. Team Force 4 was comprised of Matt Lane at 1:30.09, Mike Hudspeth at 1:33.19, Nicole Jagers at 1:57.72, and the “token cop”, Mike Grinstead, at 1:30:42, for a cumulative time of 6:32.22.

The final rider on the track was riding the same bike as the first rider on the track. While not officially permitted to compete, Pat Hernandez of Albuquerque PD could not resist Shaums March’s offer to take his bike for a spin. A mere 1:18.63 later, he was crossing the finish line. Like Jason Schiffer, Pat is moving to the next age bracket for 2010 – will top honors move with them? Be among the first to know...join IPMBA in Chesterfield-St. Louis, Missouri, May 6-8, 2010!

Congratulations to each of the fifty riders who gave it their all in the 2009 IPMBA Competition. You gave us a spectacular show and your competitive spirit in the thin, high desert air made IPMBA proud!

About IPMBA

The International Police Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA) is a non-profit educational organization providing resources, networking opportunities, and the best, most complete training for public safety bicyclists.